Bruins’ key man ruled out for Game 5 vs. Panthers

The Boston Bruins will be without captain Brad Marchand on Tuesday as they attempt to avoid elimination in Game 5 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Florida.

“[Marchand] is not an option,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery stated following Boston’s morning skate.

Marchand will miss his second consecutive postseason game after suffering an upper-body injury in Game 3 when he was whacked by Panthers forward Sam Bennett. He is deemed day-to-day with the illness.

Marchand appeared to be making an effort to return for Game 5, with the Bruins trailing the Panthers 3-1. He did participate in Boston’s skate but was not involved in any special teams practice, a late hint that he would not be suiting up.

It’s a devastating blow for the Bruins to lose Marchand again. He leads the squad in postseason scoring, with three goals and ten points. Boston will now have to continue its season without him.

The Bruins were on track to even the series in Game 4, with a two-goal advantage after the first period. However, the Panthers leveled the game with a goal from Bennett on a third-period power play, and captain Aleksander Barkov scored the game winner later in the frame.

Boston has never recovered from a 3–1 series disadvantage (0–25).